Canadian online casino sites

Published January 18, 2017Updated December 03 , 2018

Whether you hail from Canada or are just planning a visit to this beautiful part of the world, we explain the laws regarding online gambling in Canada and where you can play casino games on the Internet for real money using the Canadian dollar.

About Canada

Canada is a large country that makes up the northern half of North America, sitting above the United States, with the Arctic Circle to the North. It consists of 10 provinces and three territories, with the major cities including Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, Quebec, Calgary and Edmonton. With a land mass covering 9.98 million square kilometres, Canada is the second biggest country in the world when it comes to total area.

Famous for the natural beauty of its national parks, mountain ranges, ski slopes and lakes, as well as beloved Canadian exports like maple syrup and Ryan Gosling, Canada is also home to many land based casinos. Gamblers in Canada can spend their dollars at such establishments as Caesars Windsor, Casino de Montreal, Casino Niagara and Casino Nova Scotia.

If it’s the online games you fancy, Canadian players can also turn to the Internet to play a variety of real money casino games, including blackjack, poker, roulette, scratch cards and slots.

Is online gambling legal in Canada?

The rules regarding online gambling in Canada present a bit of a grey area. Under the Criminal Code of Canada, it is illegal for Canadians to run a betting service, but the catch is that the laws haven’t been updated to take the Internet into account, so technically there’s nothing in the Criminal Code to say it’s illegal to run an online betting service. It’s loopholes like this that mean Canadians can legally gamble at offshore casinos, provided the casino is licensed by a reputable offshore gambling jurisdiction.

Some law makers and anti-gambling advocates will argue that there’s no grey area about it, that online gambling is illegal in Canada, but until an offshore operator has it’s day in the Canadian court system there’s nothing in the Criminal Code stopping Canadians from playing online.

Prior to the rise of online gambling, each Canadian province and territory was subject to its own set of rules regarding betting, but offshore gambling operators do not take provincial limitations into account. Our recommended casino sites are certified by such offshore jurisdictions as Malta, the Isle of Man, United Kingdom and Gibraltar, with their terms and conditions applying to all Canadians whether you’re from British Columbia or Manitoba.

Best CAD casino sites

Many of the leading casinos on the Web accept players from Canada. Here are some of our top-rated sites for Canadian players:

Wintingo – If you’re looking for a vibrant, user-friendly casino that accepts Canadian players, Wintingo has you covered. This venue has been running for over a decade, standing firm on its commitment to offering players the highest quality online gaming experience in a safe and accredited environment.

Guts Casino – Guts is a leading multi-provider casino site, with games available from leading software providers like NetEnt, Microgaming, BetSoft, Play’n Go, Quickspin and Evolution Gaming. Along with a large collection of online slots and table games, Guts also provides access to some high-end live dealer casino games. Guts.com is licensed by the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA), one of the world’s best gambling jurisdictions and warmly welcomes Canadian players with deposits available using the CAD.

Slots Million – Slots Million is one of the most comprehensive sites for real money slot games, offering over 1,400 of the most popular titles from all of the best software developers. Games are available for instant-play, with titles searchable using such detailed search filters as game theme and features. Slots Million is also home to the first ever virtual reality slots room, where players can interact with others and play VR slots in full 3D with the use of an Oculus Rift headset.

Royal Vegas Casino – RVC is one of the longest running casinos on the Net, offering a large selection of both instant-play and downloadable casino games from legendary software studio, Microgaming. Here you’ll find almost every type of casino game imaginable, from the slots to the scratchies, plus a live dealer casino suite that includes Playboy live dealer games where the croupiers are dressed as sexy Playboy bunnies. Keep an eye on the promotions page, as Royal Vegas is known to offer some pretty sweet bonuses for Canadian players.

Casino-Mate – Casino-Mate is powered using software from multiple game studios and you’ll find some of the biggest titles here in such categories as slots, video poker, blackjack and more.

New online casinos for Canadians

GunsBet.com: A Curacao-licensed gambling website that has a strong selection of slots and live dealer games from multiple software providers. GunsBet online casino caters to the Canadian dollar and has plenty of deposit options including bitcoin. The casino’s live dealer section is largely supplied by Evolution Gaming, one of the industry leaders in live table games. Read our full GunsBet review.

When playing for real money at any of our recommended casino sites, all of your deposits are protected by a minimum of 128 Bit SSL (Secure Socket Layer) digital encryption security, which scrambles all your personal information to make it impossible for a third party to intercept. Coupled with the extra layer of security provided by many of the deposit options mentioned above, you can play for real money online with peace of mind that your financial information is protected.